Changes

Chapter 2

By the time we got to the beach, it was close to 7. Emily pulled up to her boyfriend's beach house and we hopped out of the Jeep. People were starting to arrive for the party at the same time we were.

We went into the house and found our boyfriends talking in the kitchen. "Hey babe," Alex said to Emily, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. Dylan grabbed my hand and pulled me into a hug without saying a word, something we do a lot. I looked up at him, kissed him, then went back to hugging him.

We all sat around the house and talked for a while, until the house was pretty full and it started to get dark outside, then headed to the sand. The beach was crowded, the music was loud, the bonfire was raging, and it was an amazing time. There were at least 10 coolers packed with alcohol and when it hit about 11 pm, most of the people were wasted.

Except me. I had two wine coolers and already felt buzzed from that. But I wasn't wasted. Emily stumbled over to me, coughed a little, and then just stared at me. I saw her frustrated look wash over her face- furrowed brow, lips parting in anger- and I knew exactly what she was going to say. "Loosen up a little bit!" she cried, palming her four head and shaking me a little bit. "But I-," I started to interject, but she interrupted with, "You promised!" I did say I would let loose and have fun. And honestly, sitting around and watching people be drunk and laugh and party wasn't fun at all.

"Hand me a cup of something strong then," I said reluctantly. She squealed and got a cup filled with vodka and cranberry juice. I gulped it down faster than I thought I could and I felt my cheeks go hot. Emily smiled and handed me another cup. I took it from her fast and gulped it down too. My head felt lighter- it was a great feeling. I grabbed Emily's arm and started walking with her.

Before I knew it, I was stumbling around, laughing, and dancing with Emily, Alex, and Dylan. I felt great. My head, for the first time in forever, was clear. No worries, no school, no sports, no parents. Nothing but fun.

Dylan grabbed me by my waist and started kissing me. I kissed him back, hard, and concentrated on how amazing it felt. I forgot about the people around us and stumbled in sync backwards with him. We made it to the beach house with no troubles, still making out, and found it almost deserted.